Emirates’ UK boss ‘frustrated’ as UAE red list status costs Britain $82m per week

Divisional vice president Richard Jewsbury said he hopes the UAE will be removed from the red list soon as the country’s coronavirus cases are low and the vaccination rate is high.

The red-list status means that travellers from the UAE must undergo a costly quarantine in a government-approved hotel, adding £1,750 to the cost of a trip, potentially rising to £2,250 in the coming weeks, according to reports.

While latest exclusive data released by the British Travel Association (BTA), revealed the UAE’s red list status cost the UK £59 million ($82m) for the third week in July.

On Wednesday, the UK announced that visitors to the country from the European Union and United States would be allowed to arrive without the need for quarantine, as of next week.

However, there was no mention of any potential relaxation of rules surrounding the UAE, which has languished on the UK’s red list since the end of January.

The UAE has been on the UK’s red list since January this year.

The decision to keep the UAE on the red list is “frustrating”, Jewsbury said, although he insisted that the Dubai-based carrier would “respect the government process” and “accept their sovereign right to do what they see fit”.

“The next change should be during the first half of August and we would hope to see some movement reflective of the state of play in the UAE and all the health and safety measures that have been put in place across the passenger journey,” Jewsbury said in an interview with PA. 

Clive Wratten, CEO of BTA, one of the UK’s largest travel bodies, urged the UK Government to acknowledge the UAE as both a “hub” and “direct destination” and apply different rules for each.

Clive Wratten, CEO of BTA.

“The UAE is a ‘vital’ business travel destination for Britain. There are many double-vaccinated British expats stranded in the UAE which has low infection rates and high vaccination levels. The UAE’s inexplicable position on the red list can be corrected by applying different rules for direct travellers ,” Wratten told Arabian Business.

UAE-UK red list is ‘hurting’ Emirates

It is becoming “increasingly clear” that the financial ramifications of the red list ruling are “hurting” Emirates’ operations, a spokesperson at UK-based aviation consulting firm StrategicAero Research told Arabian Business.

“The UK route is a prime, high yield, high capacity market that Emirates thrives on – and equally, holidaymakers and business travellers revel in flights to Dubai. Given the speed of the UAE’s vaccine rollout, suspension of flights to India where the transmissible variant emanates and lower infections across the country, you would think the UAE would at least be on the Amber list – so the frustration that Emirates and would-be passengers have is quite valid,” the spokesperson said, adding that the UAE would be the “next logical step” for restriction lifting after Europe and the US.

The UAE’s status on the list has pummelled what was formerly one of the world’s busiest air routes. Dubai-based Emirates used to operate roughly 20 flights a day to the UK, but that has been slashed by around 80 percent.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said the UAE is on the red list because it is a major transit hub, rather than due to the country’s handling of the pandemic.

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

The UAE has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates at around 70 percent of the population inoculated, and strict lockdowns implemented early after the outbreak of Covid-19 meant the country was one of the first globally to be able to reopen safely.

The UK regularly updates its traffic light system list with countries moving between green, amber or red. Where a green list designation means travellers do not have to quarantine upon arrival, a spot on the amber list means those arriving in the UK must quarantine at home.

Jason Oshiokpekhai, managing director at Global Travel Collection UK (GTC), a trade association for Britain’s travel agents, said he welcomed the UK government’s move to recognise EU and US double-vaccinated visitors but remains “completely perplexed about why the UAE, a critical international travel hub, remains on the red list”.

“Previously, the rationale was that international hub airports were a transmission risk due to their global transit rate. Nevertheless, other major global transit hubs are currently available on the amber list, such as Amsterdam and New York,” Oshiokpekhai told Arabian Business.

“It is frustrating to witness two countries with world-leading vaccination programmes continue to be restricted from travel trade. Blocking travel to the UAE jeopardises our capacity to rebuild the UK economy whilst also eliminating viable options for international travel.”